As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the planning, design and construction of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. This is also subject to the Public Spending Code and the necessary statutory approvals.
The Tipperary Bypass is part of the N24 Cahir to Limerick Junction project which received an allocation of €1m in 2023. The project is currently in the Design and Evaluation phase, which must be completed before a Preliminary Business Case is presented to the Department as is required by the Public Spending Code. As such, it is at an earlier stage of the project lifecycle than the Adare Bypass.
All new National Roads projects listed in the National Development Plan (NDP) are considered for funding on an annual basis. The delivery programme for the N24 project will be kept under review for 2024 and considered in terms of the overall funding envelope available to TII.
The progression of one project does not imply that another will be delayed. It is expected that allocations for 2024 will be announced in the coming weeks.
